The station is owned by the Educational Media Foundation, and carries its "Air1" contemporary worship music network.

[5] The station was founded by Jim French, who operated out of a space above Cardinal Savings and Loans in West Dundee.

[5] The station featured a middle-of-the-road format, with a heavy emphasis on big band music, as well as broadcasts of local high school sports and city council meetings.

[17] WCRM also sold airtime to churches and religious organizations, whose programs primarily aired late mornings.

[26][23] She remained with WABT until 1995, when she left to become program director of Shadow Broadcast Services, and was replaced by Dan Forthover.

[33][34] In 1996, the station was sold to Z-Spanish Network, along with WWJY, for $3.6 million,[35][36] and it adopted a Spanish language format,[37] airing regional Mexican music.

[40] On December 29, 2000, WZCH began airing a Spanish CHR format branded "Super Estrella", as part of a simulcast with 99.9 WRZA in Park Forest, Illinois.

[44] On Tuesday June 1, 2004, the station adopted a rhythmic oldies format branded as "Y1039, The Beat of the Burbs", with the new call sign WWYW.

[56][52] In January 2013, Marci Beeks left the station, and its weekday programming was entirely from Tom Kent's network.

[60] On-air staff included Alex Quigley,[61] formerly of Q101, Pat Capone,[62] formerly of The Loop, and Eddie Volkman, formerly of B96.

[66][67] The station was set to flip to Educational Media Foundation's contemporary worship music network, Air1, on April 8, 2019, with new call sign WAWY already reserved.